


Lightning Above, Fire Below

by MirrorMystic



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/F, F/M, First Time, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Polyamory, Post-Canon, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 07:15:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13476423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MirrorMystic/pseuds/MirrorMystic
Summary: Shiho has a new career, a new life, and the best friends a girl can ask for. But some scars, no matter how faded, just won’t stop hurting.





	Lightning Above, Fire Below

**Author's Note:**

> _The nights go on_   
>  _Waiting for a light that never comes..._
> 
> I almost never do smut, but I had Linkin Park's "A Light that Never Comes" stuck in my head, specifically the line "lightning above and a fire below me". And I thought, "that would make a great title for a fic where some lucky person has a threesome with Ryuji and Ann"... and, well, here we are. I hope you all enjoy the read.

~*~  
  
Shiho takes a deep breath and lets it out slow. Outside, a typhoon howls, and sheeting rain slaps against Ann’s bedroom window. But here, feeling the comforting weight of her best friends on either side, Shiho knows warmth, and light.  
  
“Okay,” she exhales. “I’m ready.”  
  
“Before we get started,” Ryuji chimes in, “I just want to say, I’m pretty sure this isn’t how exposure therapy actually works.”  
  
“I know,” Shiho smiles gently, “but it’s worth a try. And… for whatever it’s worth, if anyone had to do this, I’m glad it’s you.”  
  
“I think we’ve got a good shot,” Ann nods sagely. “Ryuji’s _reasonably_ attractive-”  
  
“Gee, _thanks_ .”  
  
“What! You’re literally Shiho’s ‘if I had to choose a guy’! You’re mine, too! It’s a compliment!”  
  
“Should we decide on a safeword?” Shiho wonders. “You’re supposed to use a safeword, right?”  
  
“Man, I don’t get safewords,” Ryuji vaguely waves his hand. “‘Stop’ should be the only safeword anybody needs.”  
  
“It doesn’t stop everyone,” Ann mutters darkly.  
  
Ryuji squirms. He glances up at Shiho, perched on the edge of Ann’s bed in a nightshirt and shorts. He clears his throat.  
  
“Okay, so, uh, h-how do you wanna do this?” Ryuji blinks. “...Do… Do you want to put some music on, or…?”  
  
“Calm down,” Shiho says, smiling.  
  
“Don’t worry,” Ann chimes in. “I’ll be right here.”  
  
“That’s kinda why I’m nervous,” Ryuji grumbles.  
  
“It will be alright,” Shiho chirps. “Just pretend like we’re back in middle school!”  
  
“Dude, don’t say that when we’re about to fuckin’ make out.”  
  
“You _know_ what I mean.”  
  
“Oh for-” Ann throws her hands up. “Do you need me to tell you guys what to do? Because I will, believe me.”  
  
“Alright, alright!” Ryuji sighs. He meets Shiho’s eyes, and bites his lip. “...Alright. Here goes…”  
  
Ryuji reached up and brushes his knuckles against Shiho’s cheek, curling a lock of hair behind her ear. He gently traces her jawline with a fingernail, and she leans into his touch, murmuring.  
  
“Shiho,” Ryuji says, barely above a whisper. “Are you sure this is what you want?”  
  
“Yes,” Shiho breathes. “Kiss me.”  
  
Ryuji doesn’t have to be told twice. Their lips meet, and Shiho sighs blissfully into the kiss, looping her arms around Ryuji’s neck. Shiho echoes each of Ryuji’s kisses with a smaller, gentler kiss, as if to remind herself that this is real, that this is happening.  
  
Ryuji pulls Shiho onto his lap. She trails her fingers through his hair, and he kisses his way up her jaw, pausing to suckle at the pulse point on her throat. She gasps, and involuntarily bucks her hips into his. Their eyes meet for a long, smoky moment.  
  
Shiho presses a hand to Ryuji’s chest, feels his heartbeat, feels the flex of the taut muscle beneath his tank top. Her hand trails down his chest, tracing the distinct outline of his abs through his shirt, before balling up the hem and all but yanking his shirt over his head. She balls it up and tosses it aside, and then Ryuji returns the favor. Ryuji flings Shiho’s T-shirt off the side of Ann’s bed, his fingers lingering near the edge of her bra. But then Ryuji, being Ryuji, gets distracted.  
  
“Damn, Shiho!” Ryuji blurts out, whistling. “Your abs look _great_ !”  
  
“Really?” Shiho’s face lights up. “Th-Thank you! I- I haven’t played volleyball in years, but I, you know, I still try to go to the gym-”  
  
“Yeah, yeah! Hey, why haven’t we ever gone together?”  
  
“I don’t know. We should! Oh, and Mako, too! We should all work out together!”  
  
“Oh my god,” Ann mutters, her hand over her eyes. “Guys. Focus.”  
  
“Right. Sorry,” Ryuji grins, sheepish.  
  
Ryuji’s eyes wander back over the creamy expanse of Shiho’s breasts, kept snugly in place by a plain white cotton bra. Well, not quite plain- the bands have little cartoon rabbits etched into the sides.  
  
“Cute,” Ryuji teases.  
  
“Shut up,” Shiho smiles.  
  
Shiho presses her chest into Ryuji’s eager hands- and for a second, just for a second, a shadow flashes across her eyes.  
  
Shiho’s breath hitches. Ryuji’s demeanor changes in an instant.  
  
“Shiho…?” he whispers, urgent, attentive.  
  
Shiho winces, feeling the fuzz on the edge of her senses, hearing the buzzing in her head like crackling static. She grits her teeth, shaking the nausea away.  
  
“...I’m fine,” Shiho manages. Ryuji nods.  
  
He tips her chin up and kisses her mouth, before moving down her throat and along her collarbone, his breath sending shivers up Shiho’s spine. He presses his palms into Shiho’s chest and kneads, like a cat, until he can feel the stiff points of her nipples straining against the fabric. He reaches behind her, Shiho gasping as his thumb brushes past a nipple, and starts tugging at the clasp…  
  
...and struggling…  
  
...and struggling…  
  
Ryuji sighs, exasperated, leaning his head on Shiho’s shoulder. “...I… I can’t… ugh. Ann, could you…?”  
  
“Of course…” Ann purrs, unclasping Shiho’s bra with a smirk. She slingshots it off the side of her bed, before pressing herself up behind Shiho and clamping her hands around Shiho’s breasts.  
  
Shiho’s yelp of surprise devolves into a whimper as the sudden sensation of Ann pressed against her practically sets her body on fire. Ann gives Shiho’s chest a playful squeeze, wordlessly guiding a nipple towards Ryuji’s waiting mouth. Shiho gasps as Ryuji clamps down, her gasp becoming a whine as Ann’s hand veers between her legs. Ann presses down ever so slightly, pulling away and laughing when Shiho tries to grind into her hand.  
  
“That’s not fair…!” Shiho whines. “Ann…!”  
  
“Geez,” Ann chuckles. “Somebody sure wants it…”  
  
“I do!” Shiho wails. “Please, Ann! I want it! I want you!”  
  
“Jesus, this is hot,” Ryuji mumbles into Shiho’s chest.  
  
Ann and Ryuji’s eyes meet and they laugh together, while Shiho squirms in their grasp. Shiho huffs, indignant, and palms Ryuji through his shorts.  
  
Ryuji sucks in a breath, reflexively grabbing Shiho’s wrist.  
  
Lightning crackles across Shiho’s eyes and she flinches, gasping. Again, Ann and Ryuji stop, watching, waiting.  
  
“Shiho…?” Ann asks.  
  
“I’m okay.” Shiho takes a shuddering breath, and sighs. When she glances up at Ryuji, there’s an impish grin on her lips. “Two can play that game.”  
  
Shiho takes Ryuji in her hands, quietly satisfied with the haggard gasp he lets out when she closes her fingers around his length. She clumsily tugs down his shorts with her free hand, tossing them aside.  
  
Shiho gasps as Ann slips a hand into the warmth between her legs. She coos, rolling her hips into Ann’s palm. She feels Ann’s free hand press into the small of her back, and Shiho smirks at the realization that Ann’s challenging her to a _race_ .  
  
Shiho slowly glides her hand down Ryuji’s length, his cock twitching in her hands. She breathes in his musk, his heady aroma, and tastes him- trailing her tongue down, then up again, before pressing the faintest of kisses to the very tip.  
  
“F-Fuck,” Ryuji shudders.  
  
“Do you like that?” Shiho purrs, working a hand along his shaft. “Do you like that, Ryuji?”  
  
Ryuji’s so far gone his only response is a wordless groan.  
  
Shiho snickers. “...No, Ryuji, I’m actually asking, because I’ve never done this before.”  
  
Ann snorts and cackles behind her. Ryuji only grins, laying a hand in her hair.  
  
“You’re doing great,” he beams.  
  
Shiho makes a ring with her fingers and pumps up and down, suckling on Ryuji’s swollen tip. Ryuji’s smile melts into haggard moans. Behind her, Ann’s deft fingers are playing her like a symphony- teasing, testing, the pads of her fingertips growing slick but stopping short of diving in. And all the while, Ann is trailing kisses across Shiho’s legs, down her calves, along her hips, between her thighs…  
  
Shiho mews and squeals into Ryuji’s cock as Ann brings her right to the edge. She feels a hint- just a hint- of Ann’s lips against her pussy and Shiho almost screams. She releases Ryuji’s cock with a pop and dives into a kiss, capturing his lips and grinding her whole body against his.  
  
“Ryuji…” Shiho all but snarls, pressing her forehead into his. Ryuji pants, bucking his hips against hers. Behind her, a wildly grinning Ann yanks Shiho's shorts down her legs and flings them off the bed.  
  
“Shiho…” Ryuji swallows hard, meeting her eyes. “Shiho, are you sure about this?”  
  
“I trust you, Ryuji,” Shiho growls. “Now _fuck me_ .”  
  
Ryuji delves in, and she locks tight around him. She shivers, a shiver that runs through her whole body and escapes through her mouth as a shuddering moan. She claps her hands down on his stomach, feels his abs stretch taut under her hands, feels his warmth like a fire beneath her fingertips, feels herself drawing him in as far as he can go.  
  
Ryuji’s hands settle on her hips, holding her steady.  
  
And he fucks her.  
  
Shiho’s world becomes a dizzying rush of sweat and heat and white light.  
  
She wants this. She wants this more than anything. And suddenly, Shiho realizes- she _does_ want this. Shiho is embracing her sexuality of her own free will, for no one but her own desires. And the realization of this, that Shiho has this freedom over her own body, leaves her downright _giddy_ .  
  
She can feel her climax approaching. It’s almost here. Ann got her ready, got her right to the edge, and now she’s so close, she’s so _close_ -  
  
Until Ryuji pushes her down onto her back.  
  
Shapes. Shadows. Shiho’s shoulders hit the mattress and lightning strikes. The world shatters around her, into blinding light and deepest shadow, faces cast in sharp relief as lightning flashes across the windows. The nightmare, seared into her memory, flashes across her eyes like an old film reel. She sees him. She sees him in the dark. She feels his hand over her mouth-  
  
“Shiho!”  
  
His hands are around her wrists. He’s strong- a born athlete. She can’t fight him. She can’t-  
  
“Shiho! Shiho, it’s me!”  
  
No. There is nothing. There is only darkness, and sweat, and his dirty, groping hands-  
  
“Shiho, snap out of it!” Ryuji urges. Shiho screams and shrinks away, curling up against the headboard. Ryuji grimaces, reaches into the pile of flailing limbs and grabs hold of Shiho’s wrists.  
  
“No, no wait-!” Ann cries. She swats Ryuji away, crawling towards Shiho on her hands and knees. Shiho curls into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest. The look in her eyes just about tears Ryuji in two- a wide-eyed stare of the blackest fear.  
  
“Shiho! Shiho, baby, look at me!” Ann takes Shiho’s hands and squeezes, cooing. “Shiho, come back. Come back, sweetie. It’s me. It’s me, Ann. Look- it’s Ryuji, too. It’s not him. It’s not him.”  
  
Shiho stares blankly ahead, working her jaw. She closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath. She looks down, only belatedly becoming aware of Ann’s hands. She squeezes, and sighs.  
  
“Shiho…?” Ann whispers.  
  
“Shiho,” Ryuji begins, anxious. “I’m sorry-”  
  
Shiho stands up, strides over to the bathroom, and shuts the door. Ryuji watches her go, a lump settling in his throat.  
  
“...Damn it,” he mutters. “Sorry, Ann. I should- I should probably go…”  
  
“No, don’t,” Ann urges. She sighs, running a hand through her hair. “She’ll be okay. Just… just give her a minute.”  
  
The minutes tick by. Ann and Ryuji quietly get dressed and sit together, making hushed conversation. After the better part of an hour, Shiho emerges from the bathroom in a lavender robe. She shuffles over to where Ann and Ryuji are sitting, and plops down between them without a word. She takes a deep breath, and sighs.  
  
“...I’m sorry,” she says, which is never the best way to start a conversation.  
  
“Shiho,” Ryuji begins. “...Shiho, I’m so sorry. But I swear, I would never… I would never hurt you.”  
  
Shiho stares at him, her eyes wet, before slumping against his shoulder.  
  
“I know,” she sniffs. “I know that! You two are my best friends. I trust you with my life, my body… my heart. If I could, I would give you… everything… but…”  
  
Shiho grits her teeth.  
  
“He’s still there. He’ll always be there.”  
  
“You don’t have to do this, Shiho,” Ann says gently. “There’s way more to a relationship than just making out. If you can’t, then Ryuji and I won’t love you any less.”  
  
“But I _want_ this,” Shiho insists. “I want to be able to give myself to the people I love. And the idea that, even years later, he’s defiled me so badly that no one else can touch me again... I’m not going to give him the satisfaction.”  
  
Ryuji nods sagely. Shiho reaches out, and twines her fingers with Ryuji on her left side, and Ann on her right.  
  
“...I want to try again,” Shiho says, resolute.  
  
“Right now?” Ann asks.  
  
Shiho hesitates. “...No.”  
  
“Do you want us to give you some space?” Ryuji asks.  
  
Shiho lowers her head, sheepish. “...No…”  
  
“Good,” Ann says, looping an arm around Shiho’s waist, “‘cuz we’re not going anywhere.”  
  
The rest of the evening passes in warm togetherness, despite the typhoon continuing to beat at their windows. Ryuji briefly considers ordering a pizza. Ann chides him for making them deliver in the middle of a storm, and Shiho reminds him that answering the door means he’ll have to put a shirt on. Instead, they spend hours just lounging around on Ann’s bed, tangled up in one another. The typhoon howls and pounds at the ceiling, but the three of them are perfectly warm.  
  
Just as Ann and Ryuji are starting to doze off, Shiho takes their hands and squeezes. Their eyes meet in the dark, illuminated by a flash of lightning outside. Shiho shivers, but pulls her best friends closer around her- Ann’s arm around her waist, Ryuji’s bicep as a pillow. She basks in their radiant heat, taking a deep breath.  
  
“Hey,” she begins.  
  
“Yeah?” they chorus.  
  
Shiho’s serene smile morphs into an impish grin.  
  
“...Think you’re ready to try again…?”  
  
~*~


End file.
